The James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer has launched an online petition at No. 10 Downing Street calling for a review of the current NICE system for appraising cancer drugs.
The petition has been launched in response to the recent revelation that the UK’s death rate is still around 6% higher than the European average, though spending on cancer medicines is only 60% that of other countries.
The relatively poor take-up of new treatments in the UK was one of the reasons listed in the report as “contributing to the higher death rate”.
The charity has described the current system for appraising drugs as “extremely bureaucratic, callous, time-consuming, outdated and in desperate need of reform”.
James Whale, Founder of the James Whale Fund, commented: “The Government needs to wake up to the fact that cancer services in the UK are abysmal and the survival rates for kidney cancer patients are hugely affected by this poor level of service.
“This is just one example of the dire situation facing many cancer patients in the UK today. No matter what the cancer is, the poor uptake by NICE of cancer treatments is leaving the UK lagging far behind in survival rates.”
The online petition, spearheaded by the Cancer Patient Support Group at the James Whale Fund for kidney cancer, is attracting over 100 signatures per day due to patients promoting the petition themselves.
This follows recent news that NICE has issued preliminary guidance to the NHS rejecting everolimus (trade name Afinitor, manufactured by Novartis), a new and innovative drug for advanced kidney cancer.
To view the petition or sign up, go to: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/NewCancerDrugs/.